East End (Hear No Evil #1) by Nana Malone-Review & Excerpt Tour
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 20, 2020.
There is no rest for the wicked.
And I have to confess, I have indeed been wicked.
I have one job. Protect the team by keeping Interpol Agent, Nyla Kincaid, off our backs and out of our hair by any means necessary. In the chess game of revenge, the queen reigns supreme. And unfortunately for me, she’s ready to topple the king.
She know what we did. What we stole. Who we burned. And she won’t stop until she unearths all of our secrets.
I might be a member of the Elite, but I’m done being a gentleman. If Nyla won’t stop, she’ll force me to play my hand.
I’m just as ruthless as she is, but unlike her, I don’t believe in rules.
My name is East Hale, and these are my confessions.
••••••••
REVIEW:EAST END is the first instalment in Nana Malone’s contemporary, adult HEAR NO EVIL erotic, romantic suspense trilogy. This is Interpol Agent Nyla Kincade, and Easton ‘East’ Hale’s story line. The HEAR NO EVIL trilogy is spin-off from, and interconnected series to the author’s SEE NO EVIL trilogy focusing on three friends: Ben Covington, Easton Hale, and Bridge Edgerton, known as the London Lords, and all members of The Elite-the uber rich and powerful of Eton Academy in London England. Ben and Olivia’s story was told in the SEE NO EVIL trilogy where most of the characters were first introduced.
SOME BACKGROUND: Approximately ten years earlier, during their initiation into the group known as The Elite, Ben Covington, Easton Hale, and Bridge Edgerton lost their best friend and fellow Elite pledge Toby Varma as things quickly spiralled out of control. Seeking revenge against the people and families they held responsible for Toby’s death, Ben, East and Bridge walk a fine line between right and wrong in an effort to take down everyone involved. These are their stories.
NOTE: EAST END can be read as a stand alone but for back story and history I recommend first reading the See No Evil Trilogy. The author includes references to a number of characters and events found in her other series.
Told from dual first person perspectives (East and Nyla) following several paths, EAST END picks up shortly after the events of book three in the See No Evil Trilogy- For Her Benefit- wherein the Van Linsted family, the once powerful family heading The Elite- found themselves the center of an investigation into the abuse and trafficking of women, among other unethical crimes. When the case against the Van Linsted family landed on Interpol Agent Nyla Kincade’s desk, our heroine didn’t stop with the Van Linsted’s but continued to investigate everyone involved including Easton Hale and the London Lords, against the orders from her superiors in charge. At every opportunity Easton and Nyla found themselves working against one another until threats from an unknown source pushed our couple together building towards a forbidden relationship between law enforcement and criminal activity. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Nyla and East, and the potential fall-out as converging paths of investigations, secrets and lies finds Nyla caught between East and the law; and East struggling with the potential betrayal of the woman with whom he is falling in love.
The relationship between East and Nyla is one of the forbidden. Nyla’s ex-boyfriend and her current superior Denning Sinclair is making Nyla’s life miserable using threats and intimidation, and the possibility of suspension from the job that she loves. East found himself drawn into the aura of the woman gunning for the London Lords but never expected to fall head first into a pit of betrayal and mistrust. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the stop, sexually graphic language and text.
There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters, some byway of mention (from the author’s other series): Ben Covington and Olivia (See No Evil trilogy); Bridge Edgerton; fellow London Lord Drew Wilcox; computer hacker Telly Brinx; East’s sister AJ and her wife Margaux; Lucas and Bryna (Royals Undone Series); Sebastian and Penny (Royals Undercover Series); Jessa and Roone (Royals United Series); Nyla’s fellow agent and partner Amelia; Nyla’s ex-boyfriend and Interpol agent Denning Sinclair; and her father Section Chief /Interpol Agent Roger Kincade. The requisite evil has many faces including Garrett Jameson and Francis Middleton.
EAST END, like the See No Evil trilogy is a story of lies and betrayal; of a secret society of the rich and famous; of power, control, friendships and love. The fast paced premise is intriguing, complex and engaging; the romance is passionate and captivating- the sexual chemistry is sizzling and hot; the characters are spirited, impulsive and edgy. EAST END ends on a cliff-hanger-you have been warned.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
You have a problem.
Yes, I did. And the problem’s name was Nyla Kincade. Bringing her shawl up to my nose, I took a quick whiff and that heady combination of need and irritation lingered in my blood, sending me to the edge of desire. I watched her. I had never trained the camera on her bedroom, never looked in there, but the sight from her living room was what I focused on. And that was somehow more intimate. I watched her as she cooked and then plopped on her couch to watch TV. My favorite was her in her unicorn fitted pajamas. But that night, she wasn’t wearing her unicorn fitted pajamas. She strolled out of her bedroom in the tiniest pair of shorts I’d ever seen.
What I wanted to do was pick her up and put her over my knee, but a phone call would have to do.
Her words were quiet as she answered. “Hello?”
“Agent Kincade. You’ve been very naughty.”
Instead of hanging up on me, which she probably should have, she sighed. “East Hale. To what do I owe this very late phone call? Did you mistake my phone number for a phone sex line?”
“I can get women to talk dirty to me any time I like.”
Her chuckle was low. “I’ll bet you can.”
“For such a naughty little thing, I’d have thought you’d be more contrite.”
She strolled past her windows, hips sashaying as she went. All the blood in my rational brain rushed to my dick. “You are going to have to be more specific. This has been that kind of day. Did I scratch your precious car? Perhaps I made your day more difficult. And if you are going to tear me a new one, I would advise you maybe take a number. The line for that can get quite long, you see.”
I frowned at that. She’d had a hard day?
Not that it matters to you in the least.
Nope, it didn’t matter. But still, I didn’t want to make her day worse.
“I’m sorry you’ve had a shitty day. I have an idea or two of things that might cheer you up.”
Her chuckle was soft. Lilting. “Oh, I’m sure you do. But alas, that’s not going to happen. I don’t kiss arrogant men.”
“Now, don’t add lying to your day’s transgressions.”
“What is it you want, Mr. Hale?”
“Well, Agent Kincade, I would like your assistance. It seems that someone has bugged me.”
There was a beat of silence. “That’s probably something you should take to the police.”
“Aren’t you the police?”
“I’m Interpol; my cases are different. If you like I can provide you with the number—”
“That won’t be necessary. But thank you for being so helpful. I think I’ll speak to your section chief again. I met him once. He seems like a reasonable sort.”
More silence.
That was okay, she knew I had her. If she wanted to play cat and mouse, I wanted her to be very clear on who was the predator and who was the prey. “I have to say, I’m impressed. It was at the hospital gala, right? When I was so busy falling into your eyes and you were flirting with me.”
That earned me a scoff. “Please, when I flirt, you’ll know.”
A smile teased my lips. The more she defied me and fought back, the harder I became. “I know Interpol plays by a different set of rules, but you ought to play by the rules of the country you are stationed in, and illegal bugging is a big no-no.”
“Good thing I would never do such a thing. I’m a good little agent.”
Fuck, I was so hard.
As if she could read the direction of my thoughts, she perked up. “Also, Mr. Hale, dare I ask, how have you gotten hold of my phone number?”
“Ingenuity.”
“Right. Ingenuity.”
“I decided to call you to tell you that whatever you think you’re doing, you’re in way over your head. You need to back off.”
“That’s the thing, Mr. Hale. I have a tendency not to give up on anything. I mean, of course, that’s if I was interested in you. Which I’m not.”
I chuckled then even as I rubbed the soft silk of her shawl and inhaled. “You are intriguing, Agent Kincade. So let me help you out. Why don’t you tell me what it is you want from me, and I’ll tell you if I can give it to you or not.”
She’d disappeared from my camera feed, and I could hear rustling, as if she was moving around in her bed. “Mr. Hale, I promise that you don’t have anything I want.”
“Are you sure about that? I think you’re intrigued by me. I think you can feel the hum between us. I think that after that kiss, you could still taste me. Hell, I would wager you can still taste me right now. You know that low pulsing between your thighs? The one that you’ve been trying to ignore? The one that you’ve been telling yourself isn’t good for you? That’s because of me. I make you feel that way. And it really, really is a shame that you thought you could get away with bugging me. Because I’ve made a decision, and I don’t intend to be fair.” I rubbed the silk of her shawl with my fingers again, the faint hint of honeysuckle making me ache.
“First of all, Mr. Hale, I want to remind you that you’re talking to an Interpol agent. Second of all, I’m not afraid of you. I have dealt with bigger and badder men. And I put them in jail too. You poke at me, and I’ll poke at you.”
“Oooh, kinky. Should I remind you that you fired the first shot?”
There was another beat of silence. “You can’t prove that I bugged you, so it’s a stalemate.”
“That’s the best part. I don’t need proof. You’re the one who’s afflicted with that burn, not me. So since it’s open season, I should probably mention to you that I really, really like the shorts you’re wearing.”
There was a hitch in her breath, and I could hear her swallow. “What?”
“They’re cute. And also, you should probably close the blinds of your flat. A T-shirt that says, ‘Woke up fine as hell’ and boy shorts? While I appreciate the view, I will say, so does half of London.”
She came back into the living room and whipped around, searching for me somewhere on the street. “You arsehole.”
“If you say so.”
“You want my address? I can give it to you. Come find me anytime.”
I liked her. She was fire and spunk, and just a bit shy of crazy. And I wanted her. And that was a real big fucking problem.
The real question was, what was I going to do about her attempt to tap us? Because if she tapped my fucking wallet and I hadn’t been paying attention, what else had she gotten her hands on? “Sleep tight, Agent Kincade. We’ll be speaking again soon.”
USA Today bestseller Nana Malone’s love of all things romance and adventure started with a tattered romantic suspense she “borrowed” from her cousin.
It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a precocious thirteen. She’s been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.
While she waits for her chance at a job as a ninja assassin, in the meantime Nana works out her drama, passion, and sass with fictional characters every bit as sassy and kick butt as she thinks she is.
Website: http://nanamaloneromance.net/
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